WWW.PUBLISHERSWEEKLY.COM 61Review_CHILDREN’S
★ Orchestra
Avalon Nuovo, illus. by David Doran. Flying Eye, $19.95 (80p)
ISBN 978-1-912497-86-7
Crisply paced and clearly written, this engaging introduction
to the western orchestra is appealingly substantive. The first
half covers the symphony orchestra’s history and composition,
exploring its sections (strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion,
guests) and investigating how representative instruments from
each category make sound: “When the player blows into the
[clarinet], it is the reed’s vibration against the mouthpiece that
makes the sound.” Nuovo elegantly builds concepts as the
text proceeds: “You may have started to see a pattern in how
instruments work. Some use air, some are plucked or bowed,
but all of them are doing the same thing to make sound:
vibrating.” In the second half, narrative focus expands to include
“The Music and Its Makers” (refreshingly, Nuovo chooses to
feature Hildegard of Bingen, Amy Beach, and Duke Ellington,
among others) and orchestral music “Beyond the Concert
Hall.” Doran’s coolly stylized illustrations use smoky shades
of rust, ochre, and blue to enliven the pages. Ages 7–10. (Nov.)
Music Is My Life: Soundtrack Your Mood with
80 Artists for Every Occasion
Myles Tanzer, illus. by Ali Mac. Wide Eyed, $22.99 (112p) ISBN 978-
0-711249189
Based on the idea that songs provide the ideal soundtrack to
specific emotions, Tanzer has organized the works of popular
musicians and bands into 12 feelings-oriented themes, including
“Cry It Out,” “Focus,” and “Fall in Love To.” Each artist or
group receives a single page, illustrated by Mac in stylized
portraits, that includes key facts, direct quotes, and text
touching on works in Tanzer’s conversational, occasionally
gushy prose: “To get a taste of how beautiful a Mariah Carey
love song can be, listen to ‘We Belong Together’... you know
just from the first few piano notes that you’re going to feel it.”
The selected artists range from past to present (Beethoven,
Beyoncé, Aretha Franklin, and Lizzo, among others), which
may prove a useful jumping-off point for children readying to
explore an eclectic musical world. Ages 8–12. (Feb.)
Turn It Up! A Pitch-Perfect History of Music That
Rocked the World
National Geographic Kids. National Geographic Children’s, $19.99
(192p) ISBN 978-1-4263-3541-9
This ambitious book crams a lot of music history into a
single volume. The first chapter begins with a definition (“Music
is the pleasing arrangement of notes”), then moves at a quick
clip through the first instruments ever made, monophony and
polyphony, Indonesian gamelans, and the Baroque period. Busy
pages hold text blocks punctuated by photos of objects, art, and
musicians, alongside “listen up” icons calling out representative
musical samples. It is notably inclusive: women and people of
color appear throughout and in the “musical master” sections
closing each chapter, and non-Western genres are covered.
Even so, the narrative subsequently narrows toward a focus on
various forms of American popular music; by the close, the
artists seem united by one metric: “best-selling.” A sprawling
introduction to music history. Ages 8–12. (Dec.)The History of Rock: For Big Fans and Little Punks
Rita Nabais, illus. by Joana Raimundo. Triumph, $19.95 (112p)
ISBN 978-1-62937-733-9
Through capsule biographies of the many musicians across
genres whose works can be classified as rock, Nabais attempts
to capture the breadth and influence of a famously slippery,
expansive, and syncretic genre. The text focuses on personalities,
biographical details, and record sales over the memorable
sounds these artists created, offering a strangely muted picture
of a musical revolution (Run DMC’s “initial songs were really
innovative, mixing Rock with Hip-Hop”) and some assessments
that miss the mark (“Debbie [Harry] was really pretty and had
a strong sense of style... and that’s why she became a Pop
icon”). A comprehensive glossary offers slightly more detail
about the defining elements of the many rock subgenres
mentioned throughout, but additional information early on
might have been useful for young readers lacking context.
Raimundo’s smoothly stylized portraits effectively convey the
musicians’ signature looks. Ages 9–12. (Sept.)★ Playlist:
The Rebels and Revolutionaries of Sound
James Rhodes, illus. by Martin O’Neill. Candlewick Studio, $29.99
(72p) ISBN 978-1-5362-1214-3
To counter the idea that “classical music is... dull [and]
irrelevant,” Rhodes, a pianist, constructed a guided introduction
to a Spotify playlist featuring pieces by seven composers: Bach,
Beethoven, Chopin, Mozart, Rachmaninoff, Ravel, and Schubert.
(The introduction, noting that “classical music is and has been
overwhelmingly white and male,” also mentions Chevalier de
Saint-Georges and Fanny Mendelssohn.) Structured like souped-
up liner notes, each composer’s section outlines their biography,
work, and influence. Rhodes then breaks down the history of
the specific compositions featured, the performance, and his way
of understanding it: Bach, for example, uses rhythm “to create
this rocking, undulating quality, almost like that of a small
boat.” He leans a bit hard on of-the-moment cultural refer-
ences (Banksy, Lil Wayne, and Twitter all appear on a single
page), but his enthusiasm is infectious. O’Neill’s pleasingly
trippy Sgt. Pepper-esque collages slyly reposition bewigged
men as psychedelic revolutionaries. Ages 12–up. (Oct.)